By Jake Palmer
Today Liverpool FC played Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in a game where Liverpool required just one point to be crowned Champions of England for a record-equaling 20th time. In the history of the Premier League Liverpool has only emerged as champions once since 1992. The year Liverpool won their first Premier League was in the midst of a global pandemic which meant the club were unable to lift this trophy In front of any supporters in 2020, but 5 years on things played out very differently.
I asked Redmen TV journalist Ste Hoare about how he thought the celebrations would be impacted because this title can be celebrated properly,
“It will absolutely mean a lot more! We missed out on properly celebrating last time, and it was a huge shame. We already saw the reaction on Sunday, and it’ll be even bigger come parade time. It’ll be the party of a lifetime!”
This capped off a stunning debut season for Arne Slot who became the first Dutch Manager to win the Premier League. Slot took on what looked to be an impossible task a year ago when he took over from legendary manager Jurgen Klopp. He has become the first manager in Liverpool’s long and rich history to win the League title in their first season.
Liverpool supporters gather outside the famous Kop End to celebrate title number 20. Fans were climbing onto rooftops and the Anfield gates to get a glimpse of the electric celebrations.
Hoare had this to say about whether Jurgen Klopp deserves any credit for this title win,
“Jurgen Klopp deserves credit for leaving behind such a talented group of players, all of whom have been extremely well-coached. He also deserves credit for how he backed the new manager so publicly before he left, that did Arne Slot a huge favour in terms of the fanbase getting behind him. With that said, this was Slot’s team, playing in the way Slot wanted them to play, so he gets all the praise and rightly so! “
Anfield was invaded by a sea of red pre kick off when a raucous crowd welcomed the bus in style setting the tone for what was to come.
Anfield’s party atmosphere was put on hold when Dominic Solanke scored a header in the 12th minute to silence the crowd and sow seeds of doubt through the city of Liverpool.
In typical Liverpool fashion they responded swiftly after a lengthy VAR check saw Luis Diaz score and level the match. Alexis Mac Allister then put Liverpool ahead with a thunderous effort from range. Cody Gakpo then all but sealed title number 20 before half time making it 3-1.
A sun-kissed Kop end was in full voice for the second half as the title edged ever closer. The afternoon was capped off when Mohamed Salah smashed home his 28th league goal of the season. His celebration just showed his connection with the fans as he took a selfie with the Kop End and was denied a second goal when Destiny Udogie scored an own goal taking the ball away from Salah’s path.
As the final whistle went Anfield transcended into pandemonium in what became a cauldron of passion and emotion. An entire generation of Liverpool supporters have waited for this moment. The entire squad and management team lined up in front of the beloved gaze of the Kop whilst singing You’ll Never Walk Alone. The players were then serenaded one by one, and all appreciated for their efforts over the season.
Liverpool’s triumph put an end to Manchester City’s unprecedented run of 4 League titles in a row which felt like it would never end. Liverpool have secured the title with four games left to play and will now enjoy every moment between now and May the 25th, when the season ends. Liverpool will have the pleasure of receiving four guards of honor, two of which will come against rivals Arsenal and Chelsea.
Anfield will now party and count down the days until the Premier League title is engulfed in red ribbons, whilst being thrusted above the head of the Captain Virgil Van Dijk as Anfield witnesses its first Premier league title lift.
Celebrations continued long into the night as Liverpool supporters gathered on the Anfield grounds to revel in the glory of witnessing their first Premier League title in front of fans in over 30 years.
Hoare who had this to say about Liverpool winning their 20th League title and whether it means Liverpool should be viewed as the biggest club in England.
“100%. Man United capitalised on Liverpool’s downfall in the 90s and made themselves a superpower on and off the pitch. These days, they’re in an absolute shambles whilst Liverpool are a winning machine on the pitch and very stable off it. The only thing modern day United had over us was the titles and now we’ve matched that, and we have double the number of European Cups. It’s not even a debate anymore!”
Liverpool have already confirmed that a trophy parade will take place on Monday 26th May after Liverpool’s final game of the season on Sunday the 25th against Crystal Palace. The bus will go on a 15km route from Allerton Maze to Blundell Street. The bus parade is expected to last 4-5 hours. The city will brace itself for the visit of close to a million supporters as fans from all over the world will celebrate Liverpool’s achievement, which means so much more after not being able to properly celebrate the 2020 title.
To see the bus welcome along with the post-match celebrations click on this link below.
I also spoke with a Liverpool Season Ticket holder who had this to say about Liverpool Winning the title.
